Russia Overview

Overview

Russia has for many years been a land of mystery and intrigue to Westerners. For hundreds of years, depending on the direction of political winds, Russia has been an enigma, a friend, or an enemy of the West.

It is a miraculous country and still mysterious to many foreigners, with many cultural and historic treasures, unspoiled nature; and industrious, bright and hospitable people. Russia mothered Peter and Catherine the Great, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Pushkin, Tchaikowsky, Nabokov, among others, who have contributed to the rich cultural heritage.

Russia is geographically enormous, far larger than Canada or the United States. It is still the biggest country in the world, stretching from Poland to Korea and from the Polar Regions to the deserts Asia. It is also the country with the most number of neighbors in the world.

On this huge landmass there are many of the worlds greatest sights to discover. St. Petersburg and Moscow are surely exciting places to start your sightseeing of Russia, with world class museums, churches and other historic centers well worth exploring.

Siberia

Siberia has a reputation for freezing cold, banishment and husky dogs, and I can fully assure you that it lives up to every one of these preconceptions. Travelling on the Trans-Mongolian Express, I arrived in the Siberian Capital of Irkutsk at a mild -17 degrees, to find myself greeted by stony faced fur clad women who looked like they belonged more to the 19th century, than a modern, G8 member nation.

During the 19th century, Irkutsk was the `Paris of the East`, a hotbed of rebellious thought and extravagance. This was the gateway to the East and where Moscovian and St Petreburgian radicals were exiled due to opposition to the Decembrist revolts, as well as a major trading outpost. Exiles brought with them a decadent lifestyle and flamboyant intellectual leanings.

Unfortunately, this lavishness is no-longer precedent in Irkutsk. A few signs remain, namely the intricately carved wooden buildings and the preserved Decembrist houses. The overall ambience in Irkutsk is that of a tired and grey city, struggling to keep pace with modern society and unable to accept the decline from its heyday. It’s well worth visiting, however to experience just a glimpse of Russia gone by, both Imperialist and Communist. With an abundance of five Universities there is hope for Irkutsk, but the city needs to work hard at convincing its younger inhabitants to stay and value what Siberia has to offer compared to the bright lights of Moscow.

Many Siberians are indeed fiercely proud of being not Russian, but Siberian, and with reason. This remote region is stunning both geographically and culturally. The best place to experience this is in the villages surrounding Lake Baikal, one hour from Irkutsk (or in our case half an hour in a taxi flying through the roller-coaster like roads at 145 kmph!). Staying in one of the largest towns on the South-West coast, Listvyanka, it is impossible not to appreciate the wonderful community that is at its heart. Russians flock to this Lake Garda-esque resort during the summer for water sports and fishing, but in my opinion, winter is the only time to visit, when skidooing, husky dog riding, steam baths and snowballing are the order of the day. I was privileged enough to stay with a local family, which an increasing number of families are providing, and many local agents can arrange this for you with relative simplicity. The resourcefulness of these people is incredible, something which can only really be appreciated when sitting around the dinner table in candlelight with Ludemiller and her fisherman husband, with a bowl of hot borsht and fish cakes, having just had a steam bath to heat my freezing fingers and toes! With the lake frozen three meters thick during winter, it is no surprise that people use it to their full advantage – mostly cars racing across it with people sitting on tyres being pulled along behind. In the last century there was even an attempt to build a railway line across the frozen lake, which naturally ended in disaster when the train attempted to go across and soon landed at the bottom when the ice couldn’t quite support the weight of a whole freight train! It is no surprise that in such a community festivals are the highlight of the calendar, and I was lucky enough to be there for the main Ice Festival, which saw me dancing in circles on the lake with traditionally dressed men, women and children to accordion music and Siberian style karaoke, while your beer freezes in your hand a men compete to climb up a wooden pole to gain honour for their mothers and a magnificent prize, this year, a new duvet.

A magical experience and one I would recommend to people of all travelling experience. Siberia, despite its desolate image is alive with history and community spirit, something that really has to be seen to be believed.